WHERE — London
PHOTOGRAPHY — Sam Flaherty
IN COLLABORATION WITH — THE OUTNET

What to wear to the million-and-one holiday parties you’ve got over the next month; no dress required.

It’s the age old conundrum; what do you wear when you’ve got a ‘do in the evening, but a day of work/meetings/errands/life admin prior? You can’t exactly waltz out the door at 8am in your snazziest dress and four inch heels. Well you could – but it may make running for the bus harder than it needs to be.

In a time where the art of dressing up for the occasion can sometimes feel somewhat dead (casual trumps trying too hard every time) – can you actually turn up to a holiday party in jeans and still feel like you made an effort?

I’ll always opt for denim whenever I can; simply because it’s what I feel the most cool-adjacent in. But if you do insist on wearing jeans 90% of the time (ahem, like yours truly) then at the very least put down the faded vintage Levi’s and reach for a style that’s a little more special.

My two go-to styles that are a little more exciting than your run-of-the-mill classic jeans are these white, cuffed jeans complete with a gold button fly by Ellery, and these Re/Done wide-leg jeans (cropped, always) with the super-frayed hems for a little drama.

Quick tip if you’re a shorty like me; I always opt for cropped denim or trousers to wear as regular length pants (sad but true), it’s the best way to get pants that are actually the right proportions. And it saves a trip to the tailor or hacking away at them with the kitchen scissors (also true story).

Coco Chanel was on to something when she championed the boucle blazer; turns out it is one of the more chic things one can wear, especially if you’re in need of a break from the classic blazer.

It’s a piece that for so long I considered a little too, shall we say, mature for my style. However turns out that The Jacket is the hero piece we all need. Office appropriate? Yes. Party appropriate? Uh-huh. Comfortable enough to run errands in? Why yes, it even comes with pockets. What about a cocktail party? No problem.

So voila; my holiday dressing (and by that I mean festive shindigs not sunning on Formentera) is sorted. No dress required.

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